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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. spell — magic
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lean — to bend
  7. mine — for digging
  8. spell — letters
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lean — thin
  11. march — the month
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. spell — a short time
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. deal — to handle
  19. march — the month
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com